Spinal implants are often used in the surgical treatment of spinal disorders such as degenerative disc disease, tumors, disc herniations, scoliosis or other curvature abnormalities, and fractures. Many different types of treatments are used, including the removal of one or more vertebral bodies and/or intervertebral disc tissue. In some cases, spinal fusion is indicated to inhibit relative motion between vertebral bodies. In other cases, dynamic implants are used to preserve motion between vertebral bodies. In yet other cases, relatively static implants that exhibit some degree of flexibility may be inserted between vertebral bodies. Regardless of the type of treatment and the type of implant used, surgical implantation tends to be a difficult for several reasons. For instance, access to the affected area may be limited by other anatomy. Further, a surgeon must be mindful of the spinal cord and neighboring nerve system.
In some applications, surgeons may wish to use a curing substance in lieu of more expensive and complex devices as a rapid vertebral body replacement. Unfortunately, these curing substances tend to be fluid or malleable in nature prior to curing and consequently tend to migrate in the absence of a containment device. Accordingly, a containment device may be appropriate for use in these applications to control the migration of curable substances prior to hardening.